Photo: Martin C. Barry
MNAs, city councillors and community group officials gather round to plant a tree
on the site of future Aviron public housing on des Laurentides Boulevard.

L’Aviron, a fledgling social services organization which hopes to provide housing to the needy and homeless in Laval’s eastern sector, has been awarded a $126,000 start-up grant by the provincial government to create a new 30-unit housing project in a former automobile dealership on des Laurentides Boulevard.

Many subsidies
The loan, made in conjunction with the Société d’habitation du Québec, will allow l’Aviron to have construction plans drawn up before proceeding to a call for tenders. When that stage has been completed, the SHQ will be willing to grant l’Aviron $1.9 million to bring make the project a reality.
The City of Laval would contribute an additional $530,000, which would be refunded by the Montreal Metropolitan Community from a fund for social to which the 82 CMM towns and cities contribute. When all is said and done, the final bill will be $3.7 million.

Help needed: Paquet
“I am happy to be able to announce this important step towards the realization of l’Aviron which is most certain to play an important role in our community in offering to persons who are going through difficult times a place where they can obtain all the help they need,” said Laval-des-Rapides Liberal MNA Alain Paquet, who helped facilitate the arrangements.
“The commitment of our government in a project like this that is as important is only natural and demonstrates the importance that we accord to the well-being of the citizens of Laval and of Quebec, especially those who are in difficulty,” he added. “The coordination or regional interests come together with the willingness by our government, as expressed in the 2010-2013 interministerial action plan for itinerance, to prevent and counter itinerance while giving back to such persons the confidence and dignity of being part of their community.”

Problems known
“L’Aviron, an emergency housing facility, will be filling a need that is well known by all,” said Laval city councillor Ginette Grisé, who represents the area and who sits on the CMM’s social housing commission. “Loss of employment, family crises and personal difficulties are all reasons that lead to itinerance and it is not for us to judge those who are exposed to it.
The project will be receiving an additional $20,000 subsidy from the Agence de l’efficacité énergétique du Québec, to assure that the building l’Aviron puts up conforms to energy-efficiency norms. The City of Laval will be receiving a $77,000 subsidy in conjunction with the project to carry out decontamination of the surrounding soil. Since 2003, more than 650 units of community housing have been provided in the region of Laval, of which 242 are in Laval-des-Rapides, for an investment of more than $80 million.